


Permanent Press

by t_shirt



Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Fluff, M/M, WAFF, moderate lemon, sap, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-18
Updated: 2020-02-18
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:49:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22790497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/t_shirt/pseuds/t_shirt
Summary: A young mans discovers that hard work and perseverance can help make dreams come true, but there are also those who just want to share a dryer.
Relationships: 1x2 - Relationship, 3x4, 5+all
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	Permanent Press

AU/Romance  
1x2, 3x4, 5+all  
Fluff *nods*, sap *yeppers!*, WAFF *you bet’cha!*, slight angst, moderate lemon

Summary: A young mans discovers that hard work and perseverance can help make dreams come true, but there are also those who just want to share a dryer. 

Life in the city wasn’t all he thought it would be. The job was okay, but it would take time to climb up through the ranks and achieve a position that would truly challenge and reward him. In the meantime he was stuck at entry level, living in a two room apartment and doing his laundry in the local public mat. It wasn’t too bad, but he hated the waiting and reading only distracted him moderately from the fact that he was tied to the washing machine until it finished running its cycle. One day, he’d have his own laundry room and a large screen TV on which to play his favorite video games while cleaning his clothes. He sighed and glanced at his watch, groaning when only five minutes had passed. How long did it take for one load of clothes to wash anyway?

*Ching*

The sound of the door opening drew his attention as it was an uncommon noise at that time of night. His job usually required some amount of overtime making it impossible to get to the mat before seven or eight in the evening. It usually meant he was free to do his clothes in peace, but that was not to be the case this evening. When he saw the young man carrying a full basket under his arm his heart skipped a beat and he quickly looked away. The guy was gorgeous, absolutely stunning and it made his pulse quicken to think he would be spending time with him even if it was just waiting for his clothes. It was always so hard to tell if a guy would be open to another guys advances though, so he kept his gaze friendly when he looked back to the newcomer, but he was busily stuffing his clothes in a dryer and he wondered if maybe his home dryer had broken. 

He certainly looked like someone who could own their own machines. Everything from the tailored, high necked shirt to the comfortable shoes bore the mark of a well managed life. Everything except the hair, but that was one of the cutest things about him. It was dark and unruly, the kind that refuses to stay tamed no matter how much gel was used, but it gave him a roguish appearance that was sexy beyond reason and made Duo’s back teeth sort of ache when he looked at him. However, his observation was interrupted when his clothes suddenly stopped spinning and demanded his attention. 

The new guy paused to look at him when he stood giving him the opportunity to offer a friendly smile but none was returned, so he didn’t brave the silence and chose to attend his wash instead. His neck burned as if there were eyes upon him, but he didn’t dare turn around to confirm the feeling. It was probably his imagination, an overactive longing to have it be so, but when he finished extracting his clothes into the rolling cart provided by the mat and turned the guy was indeed looking at him. 

“Is that all you have?” he asked indicating the small load of wash in Duo’s cart. 

“It’ll get me through the week,” Duo smiled feeling somewhat self conscious about the scant items. 

“We can share if you want,” he offered setting his empty basket on the table behind him. “It’s only half full. We can split the cost.”

Well, it made sense, but he wasn’t so sure how he felt about having his boxers tumbling around in high heat with this guys BVD’s. Still, it was a generous offer and saving money was always a good thing. 

“You’re sure you don’t mind?” he asked moving forward. 

“It makes sense,” he shrugged. 

“Thanks,” Duo smiled offering his hand. “I’m Duo.”

“Hiiro,” he returned before helping him add his clothes to the machine. 

“Did you’re dryer break down or something?” Duo asked fishing out his share of the money. 

“No,” Hiiro revealed doing the same. 

“Then why…” Duo began, but stopped abruptly. “Sorry,” he chuckled dropping his coins into the dryer. “It’s just you didn’t have to wash anything, so I thought maybe you’re dryer broke down or something.”

“I wash them at home and dry them here,” Hiiro explained adding his money before reaching for the heat setting. 

It took Duo a moment to realize why he paused and offer a grateful, “Permanent press, please.”

Hiiro chose the proper setting, then turned and headed for the seat beside Duo’s bag. Uncertain of what to do next, Duo moseyed over and sat down next to him feeling terribly awkward before remembering his book and reaching for it like a lifeline. 

“You read Stallington?” Hiiro inquired looking at the cover of the text. 

“You’re familiar with her work?” Duo smiled. 

“I did my final thesis on her theory of existential irrelevance,” Hiiro replied. 

“What was your major?” Duo asked delighted by the discovery of a common interest. 

The book was forgotten in light of enjoyable conversation while they spoke of their recent college years and the subjects they had studied. Hiiro was a quantum warp engineer, a career closely paralleling Duo’s dreams of creating the first, active trans-dimensional gateway between Earth and the colonies. However, they had barely gotten to talk at all it seemed when the dryer chimed. 

“Do you come here often?” Duo asked while they separated their clothes. 

“On occasion,” Hiiro replied smirking when he handed him a pair of his black, silk boxers. 

Duo blushed furiously taken aback by the oddly flirtatious behavior while he took the warm garment and felt the heat travel well past his hand when Hiiro’s fingers brushed against his palm. “Maybe I’ll see you again some time,” Duo smiled heaving his basket onto his hip. 

“I’ll look forward to it,” Hiiro smiled and suddenly it was time to part company. 

Reluctantly, Duo turned away, but he couldn’t help the secretive, little smile that curled his lips at the thought of getting to see the handsome Hiiro again. It seemed like more than he should even dream, but the hope that perhaps he might be interested in more than sharing a dryer had already seeded in his heart and he looked forward to their next meeting with great anticipation. When he got back to his little apartment the first order of business was putting his clothes away, but he couldn’t stop thinking about Hiiro and all the things they’d talked about. It still amazed him that they had so much in common, seemed almost too good to be true, but he quickly pushed those thoughts aside. Stranger things had happened, so there was no reason not to believe that the connection he’d felt would grow into something more substantial. Of course, that was if Hiiro was interested. He certainly seemed to enjoy his company and Duo sighed wondering if maybe he was reading more into it than there was simply because it was what he wanted, but his thoughts were stalled when he pulled a pair of dark blue briefs from his basket that he’d never seen before. 

“Hiiro?” he gasped dropping the underwear and blushing like a boiled lobster despite the fact that the owner was nowhere nearby. 

He laughed at himself picking the garment up again to have a better look. Carson Leer’s, a designer label no doubt since he’d never heard of it. Turning them over he noticed the high thread count and quality elastic, then gasped softly when a hand written number came into view along the back of the waistband. A series of numbers to be exact, the sort one might use to call someone on the vid phone if they had a reason. Perhaps to tell them that they accidentally took home their BVD’s by mistake. 

He grinned and picked up the phone only to fall into his easy chair and laugh at himself. It seemed so stupid when he thought about it, but…they _were_ his brief’s and since they did use the same laundry mat it only stood to reason…He sighed heavily and rolled his eyes forcing things into perspective. It was just a phone call to tell the guy he had his stuff. Heart tamed and deep breath behind him he dialed the phone and felt the need to take another when his pulse began to race the moment Hiiro picked up the phone. 

“Hello?”

“…………”

“Hello?”

Gods! Why wouldn’t his throat work!?

“Duo?”

“Hey!” he gasped in sudden surprise. “How’d you know it was me?”

“I’m missing a pair of briefs,” Hiiro chuckled. 

“Do you always write your phone number on your underwear?” Duo laughed along. 

“Of course,” Hiiro replied sounding as if he’d taken a cozy seat. “It seems no matter how hard you try when you use a public mat they invariably get lost, so I put my number inside all my clothes.”

“That’s very sensible of you,” Duo smiled. “I could bring them along next time I do laundry if you want.”

“When will you be there?”

Duo thought about it wondering if he could scrape together another load by the next day, but even if he stripped his bed it wouldn’t make a load. “Day after tomorrow?” he replied in an inquiring tone. “It’ll be sheet day.”

“Great,” Hiiro replied. “I’ll bring mine along; maybe we can split the cost of the dryer again.”

“Sounds good,” Duo smiled curling up in his chair. “I never have enough to fill one of those monster machines up anyway.”

“Me either,” Hiiro laughed softly. 

Duo tried to think of more to say, but the subject seemed to have petered out leaving him with nothing to utter besides, “Well…I guess I should let you go.”

“Are you busy?” 

“No,” Duo smiled feeling unreasonably giddy. 

“You mentioned solar anomalies in regards to spatial configuration,” Hiiro eagerly commented, “but I didn’t get to ask how you intended to use it to manipulate the space/time continuum.”

“Well,” Duo grinned sinking deeper into his chair while he began to detail his theories.

It was so nice to have someone to talk to outside the office. Even at work he often had difficulties making others understand his ideas, though he didn’t think they were so very radical. They said trans-dimensional travel was impossible and he knew it wasn’t. All he needed was the chance to prove his theories and put them into practical use, but no matter how hard he tried no one seemed willing to take him seriously. No one until Hiiro that is and he made up for everyone else quite easily. He understood Duo’s idea’s, could talk to him on the same level and even had some theories of his own that closely paralleled Duo’s work. It was almost as if the heavens had sent him his very own angel, someone who believed in his dreams with almost the same conviction as himself because he shared them in the most intimate way. His throat was dry and his eyes falling closed against his will before he realized they’d been talking for over five hours and resigned to the fact that the day was over. 

“Duo?” Hiiro gently intoned as his conversation partner had gone strangely silent. 

“Sorry,” Duo yawned. 

“Damn,” Hiiro sighed. “Is it really after two?” he laughed. “Sorry, you probably have work tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” Duo sighed comfortably, “but it’s okay. I was enjoying myself. Don’t you have to work too?”

“I don’t have to go in early,” Hiiro replied leaving a long pause before quietly adding, “Guess I’ll go then.”

“All right,” Duo smiled cuddling the phone. 

“Will you be able to wake up on time?”

“Hm?” Duo yawned. “Sure, my alarm could raise the dead.”

“Oh,” Hiiro replied. “Well…goodnight then.”

“I’ll see you…” Duo yawned hugely, “…tomorrow night.”

“Tomorrow?”

“It’s already today,” Duo snickered. 

“Oh,” Hiiro chuckled. “Right. Tomorrow night then.”

“Good night, Hiiro,” Duo smiled. 

“Good night, Duo,” Hiiro replied and Duo giggled when he put down the phone feeling almost as if he’d been tucked in. 

The morning came much too swiftly when the necromancer alarm clock shattered a damn nice dream in which Hiiro was reading him poetry in a field of red flowers, but it meant he was that much closer to the next evening, so he pulled himself out of the chair he’d fallen asleep in and stumbled off toward the shower. The water massage stopped the ache in his neck for about an hour until he got to work and was faced with a pile of paperwork that was, no doubt, supposed to keep him out of trouble. Sighing heavily didn’t deplete the workload any, so he grabbed a cup of stale coffee and settled in. However, his conversation with Hiiro had sparked some new idea’s that were begging to be researched and an hour later the mundane reports of the day had been forgotten in favor of assessing new information. 

“Maxwell! Have you finished updating the QED yet?”

“Mr. Yantz!?” Duo gasped startled by his supervisor’s sudden appearance. “Um…no, sir,” he replied guiltily while he shuffled through his desk in search of the bi-weekly report. 

“It’s a fifteen minute update,” Yantz grumbled. “What in the hell have you been doing?”

Duo tried to shut down the many windows he had opened before his boss saw, but the effort was futile when he pushed his way behind his desk. “What in the hell is that?” he asked reading the heading ‘The Static Moment’. “Are you surfing the net?”

“No!” Duo snorted. “I was just doing a little research.”

“’Switchback Acceleration?” Yantz read with utter incomprehension. 

“It’s a means of…”

“I don’t care what the hell it is!” he growled. “You shut that shit down and do your job or I’ll find somebody who will!”

“This is my job,” Duo sighed. “If you’d just let me…”

“You ain’t no big wig yet, boy,” he was cut off. 

“I will be,” Duo insisted. 

“What you’re gonna be in delivering mail if you don’t stop daydreaming and do the work,” Yantz warned heading for the door. 

Duo sighed deeply rubbing his palms over his face as he door shut. It was always like that, no one ever listened or cared about actually doing anything. All they wanted was to shuffle the papers for the day and go home to their vid’s at night. His eyes fell on the phone while Hiiro’s number burned in his mind, but before he could dial he realized how needy he was being and replaced the receiver. He would see him the following night and that would have to do. It was crazy to get so worked up over a guy he’d just met, he knew that as well as he knew his name, but something about Hiiro just felt so right somehow. He’d been attracted to guys before of course, but it always ended badly. Either the guy wasn’t into men or all he wanted was a romp in bed, but Duo wasn’t the type who fell for that sort of move. He wanted something real so he’d waited holding his hope for a true companion close to his heart, but whenever he thought about Hiiro he couldn’t help wondering if maybe he’d finally found one. At the very least he’d certainly met someone who understood him better than anyone ever had before. Whether he became a lover or not he felt he’d at least made a friend. 

The day dragged on until he thought his eyes might bleed, but eventually the inevitable happened and he was free to go home. However, home didn’t hold the usual appeal since he was in no hurry to sit and stare at the walls while the seconds ticked away. Dinner seemed like a worthy distraction from the fact that his apartment was as devoid of Hiiro as the rest of the world seemed to be, so he pointed his toes in the direction of the nearest restaurant. It wasn’t the sort of place he would normally go for a bite to eat, but he was feeling somewhat disjointed and in need of a change. Waiting to be seated was different since his favorite diners usually let you sit wherever you liked, but the short conversation with the young hostess got his mind off of things for a minute. He was given a table by the wall beside a thick rubber tree plant that made him feel cozy without secluding him from the rest of the world. His server took his drink order, then disappeared only to be called over by the people at a neighboring table at which point Duo felt his stomach turn a flip. 

There was no mistaking it; the young man talking to his waitress was none other than his CEO, Quatre Raberba Winner, whose father just happened to own the company Duo worked for. Duo had only seen him twice in the few months of his employ, but there was no way he wouldn’t recognize him. Feeling somewhat self conscience because of having chosen the same place to eat he shifted in his seat. If Quatre noticed him and actually recognized who he was it could cause a rather awkward moment should he misunderstand and think Duo was stalking him or something. Concerned for his reputation and immediate state of employment he tucked behind his menu and tried to think of a way to deal with the situation should the need arise. 

“Have you decided?”

Damn, she was back already? “I’ll have the New York strip,” he smiled frowning when she took his menu away. 

There were the usual questions about what sides he would like, salad or coleslaw and a brief inquiry over his age when he ordered a glass of wine before she glided away and left him staring blankly into the smiling face of Quatre Winner. Uncertain of what to do he offered a sheepish smile and turned his attention elsewhere trying very hard to act as if he didn’t know the young tycoon. It seemed to work as he went back to talking with his companions and Duo sighed a breath of relief, then snorted softly to himself when it came to him that at least he hadn’t been pining over Hiiro for the past few minutes. He’d brought along a book Hiiro had mentioned in their conversations that happened to be in the company library and passed the time reading through it while he waited for his food. He’d barely scratched the surface when said food arrived in a timely manor and he made a note to try the place again when the occasion called for it. The meal was adequate and very flavorful and the prices weren’t so bad he couldn’t afford to dine there now and then. He smiled taking the last bit of his steak between his teeth while he wondered if Hiiro would enjoy eating there with him, but almost choked on it when he glanced up to see Quatre Winner approaching his table. 

“Good evening,” he smiled creasing his brow in concern when Duo coughed and stealthily spit the bit of steak into his napkin. “Forgive me,” Quatre went on, “but don’t you work for WEI?”

“Y…yes, sir,” Duo rasped smiling apologetically while he reached for his water. “In research and development.”

“I knew I’d seen your face before. Mr. Maxwell isn’t it?” he smiled offering his hand. “I’m…”

“Quatre Winner,” Duo cut in confidently while he rose to his feet and eagerly shook the offered hand before it hit him. “I’m sorry if I disturbed your dinner,” he offered. “I’ve never been here before, so I was surprised to see you.”

Quatre smiled and waved the comment away. “It’s close to the office and the food is excellent,” he chuckled, then sobered to ask, “Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t you submit a proposal a couple of months ago detailing the possibility of locating and manipulating solar anomalies?” 

“Yes!” Duo exclaimed reddening with embarrassment at his outburst, but Quatre merely chuckled lightly. “Sorry,” he laughed along. “It’s just no one seems to understand what I’m getting at half the time.”

“Considering the nature of your proposal I’m not surprised,” Quatre nodded and Duo felt his chest swell with anticipation. “Have you done any more research on the matter?”

Duo’s face fell. “Not…officially,” he confessed. “Mr. Yantz doesn’t allow research on subjects that don’t pertain to department criteria, but I have a compilation of my work on my system at home.”

“You work at home?” Quatre smirked, but Duo merely set his jaw and replied…

“Trans-dimensional travel is my dream. No offence, but if I can’t make it happen with WEI then I’ll find another way.”

The comment seemed to impress the blond CEO causing his left brow to twitch and the right side of his lips to curl. “I’d like to see that dedication applied to the future of WEI,” he told him. “Would you consider transferring to a position that would better serve both our interests?”

Duo could hardly believe his ears. “Yes, sir!” he smiled breathlessly. 

“It’s Quatre,” he insisted once again offering his hand. 

Duo grinned widely shaking on the deal and wondering offhandedly if Hiiro would comprehend how he had inadvertently affected his life. 

If he hadn’t been pining over the handsome warp engineer he never would have stepped in that restaurant and stumbled into what was undoubtedly going to become a defining moment in his life. He couldn’t stop grinning all the way home and didn’t even mind that it was small, dark and empty when he got there. His feet were light, but his stomach was heavy, so he headed for the shower slapping the disk player on the way and spent the next forty-five minutes draining the apartment complex’s hot water heater while he danced about his shower stall and wallowed in how good it felt just to be alive for a change. He had just finished rinsing the conditioner from his hair when he heard a strange timbre in the music and suddenly realized it was his phone. 

“Yo!” he gasped falling onto the couch as he snatched it up on the seventh ring.

He was still dripping wet having only grabbed a towel to clutch around his waist so his long hair was drizzling all over the place, but his concern for the upholstery disappeared the moment Hiiro inquired, “Duo?”

“Hi!” he smiled readjusting to a sitting position before having a sudden thought. “Did I give you my number?”

“No,” Hiiro confessed sounding suddenly shy. “I have caller ID, but if you’d rather I didn’t call…”

“NO!” Duo exclaimed laughing at his exuberance while he rubbed the end of the towel on his hair. “I don’t mind at all, I was just curious how you knew. What’s up?” 

There was a short pause before Hiiro began with, “Um…” and ended with, “...do you wear ankle socks?”

“What?” Duo snorted a laugh. 

“I found a black ankle sock in the leg of a pair of my jeans,” Hiiro explained sounding very off balance and utterly humiliated. 

“That’d be mine,” Duo laughed lightly. “I didn’t even notice it was missing,” he confessed dragging his mane of wet hair over his shoulder. 

“How can you not know you’re missing a sock?” Hiiro wondered. 

“I don’t pair them.” Duo explained. “I just buy all the same kind and toss them in a drawer.”

“Hn,” Hiiro grunted thoughtfully. “That’s very practical.”

“Works for me,” Duo laughed. “Can you hold on a sec?”

“Sure.”

Duo laid the phone down and took a moment to tame his soggy hair rolling its massive length up in the oversized towel and curling down into the sofa with a throw pillow in his lap to cover his more chill sensitive area’s, then picked it back up again. 

“Okay.”

“What were you doing?”

The blush came hard and fast, but a quick swallow disguised his discomfort. “Just got out of the shower,” he explained. “My hair was dripping all over.”

“You actually took that mass down?” Hiiro chuckled. 

“And got it wet!” Duo grinned. 

“You’re braver than I thought.”

“It’s all in the wrist,” Duo snickered. 

“It must take forever to dry.”

“It’s not too bad,” Duo shrugged, “but it does stay damp around the nape of the neck for awhile.”

“It’s thickest up there,” Hiiro agreed going quite for a moment. 

“What?” Duo prompted grinning madly. 

“Okay,” Hiiro chuckled. “I have to know. How in the hell do you manage to braid it so tight by yourself?”

“I’ve had a lot of practice,” Duo laughed. 

“You’ve always had to do it yourself?”

The odd quality of Hiiro’s tone caught Duo off guard and settled his giddy elation while his mind wondered if Hiiro was probing about his past. “Yeah,” he sighed cuddling his throw pillow a little tighter. 

“Seems like it’d be easier if someone helped you with it,” Hiiro commented softly. 

“I had it done at a salon once,” Duo confessed, “but the gal kept saying it needed a trim, then offered to trim all my other hair while she was at it so I never went back.”

“Why do you keep it so long?” 

“I dunno,” Duo shrugged fighting off a yawn. “Because it’s mine I guess.”

“It’s beautiful.” Duo felt his heart skip a beat at the comment flushing right down to his collarbones, but couldn’t think of a single thing to say in response before Hiiro stuttered, “I…I mean, you know? It’s so long and silky. I bet it made everyone in that salon jealous.”

“Scared them is more like it,” Duo laughed feeling somewhat lighter. “One of the guys made a comment that you couldn’t pay him enough to roll it.”

“Roll it?”

“For a permanent I guess.”

“Oh, lord!” Hiiro laughed heartily. “Curls? That’s insane! We wouldn’t find you for years!”

“I’d be an old man before I found my way out,” Duo chortled liking the sound of Hiiro’s laugher very much. 

“Naw,” Hiiro laughed. “I’d come in after you before that could happen.”

The laugher slowly died while an awkward moment settled in and Duo did his best to keep his heart in his chest. “Have you ever grown your’s long?” he asked groping for something to say. 

“You wouldn’t have spoken to me if I had,” Hiiro chuckled gratefully. 

“Why?”

“It sort of just grows straight out,” Hiiro confessed. 

“Like an afro?” Duo sniggered. 

“More like an angry hedge hog,” Hiiro replied, then had to wait for Duo to stop laughing before they could continue. 

“Well, it looks nice the way it is,” Duo finally choked. “Short hair suites you.”

“Really?” 

“Mm,” Duo nodded tugging the towel from his hair so it could air dry a little. “You have such a strong neck it would be a shame to cover it up.”

“I bet your’s is stronger than mine,” Hiiro replied. “It has to support all those lovely tresses after all.”

Again Duo blushed even though the comment was obviously in jest and couldn’t think of a ready reply. “It’s scrawny like the rest of me,” he commented brightening all the way to red when Hiiro softly replied…

“Nothing about you is scrawny.”

“They used to call me stick boy,” Duo insisted. 

“I bet they’re all overweight couch potatoes by now,” Hiiro reasoned. 

“I wouldn’t know,” Duo replied sinking a little deeper into the couch. “I left them all back in Trenton Falls.”

“You’re from the Midwest?”

“Only for the past twelve years or so.”

“And before that?”

“I ran the streets of L2.”

He didn’t realize what he was saying until it was too late and fear gripped his chest that Hiiro might think he was worthless like all those people who had looked down on him when he was a street rat on L2, but the first thing out of Hiiro’s mouth was, “You’ve come a long way.”

Hearing the pride he felt for his accomplishments in someone else’s voice did things for him he couldn’t quite understand, but he knew he liked it very much. “Things were better once I arrived on Earth,” he explained. “I got to go to school and eventually made my way here.”

“Is that why you want to succeed in creating a trans-dimensional doorway?” Hiiro queried. “So other people will be able to make it to Earth?”

It was a bit like he’d reached inside his head and picked out his most intimate thoughts, but it felt oddly comforting somehow and Duo smiled and hummed, “Mm hm.”

“You’re really going to change things,” Hiiro commented once again voicing Duo’s innermost dreams. 

“It’ll be easier to help if people aren’t cut off from their origins,” Duo yawned. “I had to stow away on a freighter to get here, but I got lucky. Most people who try it don’t survive.”

“Are there that many willing to do such a thing?” Hiiro asked quietly as Duo’s voice was growing softer with each intonation. 

“Thousands on L2,” Duo sighed fighting heavy eyelids, “but space travel is expensive, so they’re SOL unless they wanna take a chance on becoming a space pop.”

“And you wanted it so badly you took the chance.”

“I knew I wouldn’t die,” Duo replied yawning hugely again. “I couldn’t,” he mumbled. “Not before I set foot on Earth.”

Hiiro remained quite listening to the gentle rhythm of Duo’s breath as it deepened and evened out. When he again blinked open his eyes his first confusion was over why his phone was in his lap, his second, why was he sleeping naked on his couch? He didn’t figure it out until after he’d dressed and washed his face, then the horrible embarrassment over having fallen asleep on the phone set in and he wondered how he would face Hiiro that night. He’d just have to apologize and hope he’d understand how little sleep he’d gotten the night before. Hiiro was a reasonable guy after all. However, all thoughts of Hiiro were banished when he arrived for work and discovered his desk was gone. 

“Maxwell!”

“What?!” he gasped jumping six inches off the ground at Yantz’s shout. 

“Think you’re hot shit don’t ya!?” he growled towering over him. 

“What are you talking…” Duo began wondering if he’d been transferred to the mailroom after all, then it hit him. Had Quatre done something so quickly?

“Don’t think just ‘cause you moved up a floor it means you’re any better than the rest of us!” Yantz snarled, but it shifted to something of a pout when Duo suddenly grinned. “I don’t even want to know what you did to get promoted overnight, girly boy,” he sneered going suddenly red faced when Duo’s knee connected viciously with his groin. 

“Nothing you’d ever understand,” he smiled tossing his jacket over his shoulder while he strode off toward the elevator and left his ex-boss wheezing in the hall. 

When he stepped off he wished he’d waited a bit longer to reclaim his dignity as he had no idea to where or whom he was supposed to report. Unlike the floor below he noticed immediately that there was a receptionist stationed in the foyer and pointed his feet in that direction. 

“May I help you?” she asked turning to pleasantly greet him and he suddenly recognized her having seen her in the elevator and parking garage in the basement. 

“Hi,” he greeted glancing down the long hall on her left. “I’m Duo Maxwell. Mr. Yantz said I’ve been moved up here, but I’m not sure where I’m supposed to go.”

“Of course, Mr. Maxwell,” she smiled. “One moment.”

He took the opportunity to peek down the hallway to her right noting the paintings on the walls looked like original oils and depicted some of the most striking images he’d ever seen. The first was an abstract of what could only be the Horse Head Nebula. He still couldn’t see a horses head in it, but the composition was undeniable. The next, though more difficult to make out, looked like a star map of some sort. 

“I’m sorry for the wait,” the receptionist interrupted his thoughts. “You’ll be working with Wufei Chang...”

“Chang Wufei,” came a stern, but tolerant voice and Duo looked up to see a young Chinese guy walking down the hall. “You’re Maxwell?” he asked looking Duo up and down and…back up again. 

Shifting uncomfortably under the scrutinizing gaze Duo cinched his self respect on a little tighter and replied, “That’s me.”

“Hope you’re half what Quatre boasted you’d be,” Wufei smirked. Duo felt a bit odd at the thought that Quatre had been bragging about him, but shook it off. “Is that it?” Wufei asked glancing at his jacket and small bag.”

“I wasn’t informed the move would happen today,” Duo explained, “but I could run home and gather my research if you’d like.”

“Bring it tomorrow,” Wufei advised tossing a small salute at the receptionist before guiding him down the left hall. 

Duo took a moment to notice the name plate on the desk and called cheerily, “See you later, Silvia,” waving at the suddenly smiling young lady before falling into step beside his new partner. 

“I read your proposal last night,” Wufei informed him breezing into a large office with a solid cherry wood desk, two over stuffed, black leather couches and the single most spectacular view he’d seen in the city yet. “It was intriguing, but I still don’t see how you expect to isolate anomalies that haven’t been proven to exist.” 

“I was a bit lost on that myself, but a friend of mine suggested the possibility that they might be notable in the volatile repercussion of an ion burst,” Duo replied marveling at what one floor could do, but the few windows on the floor below were small and the view obstructed by the tops of the adjacent buildings. This office appeared to have been purposefully positioned to make the most of the morning sun and looked down on the park across the street. Duo smiled while he watched the sparkling sunlight dance on the small lake in the park and wondered where Hiiro might be at that very moment. 

“Have you ever been up here before?” Wufei smirked leaning against the desk. 

“No,” Duo chuckled turning to look around while he complimented, “Nice digs.”

“You like it?” Wufei grinned. 

“It’s bigger than my apartment,” Duo chuckled. 

“Good,” Wufei nodded pushing off the desk while he added, “Because it’s yours.” The sound of Duo’s jaw hitting the ground could have raised the dead. “You have full access to the network,” Wufei added turning to add as he reached the door. “Just use your social to get in the first time and choose a password.” He snickered at the ashen color of Duo’s face shaking his head almost affectionately before he smiled, “Welcome aboard,” and left. 

Duo looked around again while his chest began to swell until he couldn’t contain it anymore and let go a whooping shout, falling bonelessly into one of the couches, then bounced right back up and dropped his ass in his new, high back, black leather captains chair and booted up his system. Full access to the network wasn’t even the half of it. He was jacked into servers all over the world, the colonies; even the military and government networks were open to him for the most part. He was dizzy with excitement and totally engrossed when a knock came at his door, so all he could muster was a distracted, “Yeah?” 

“Duo?” 

“Just a sec,” he replied without really noticing the young blond enter until he’d finished reading the article he’d been captivated by, but balked when he saw Quatre standing on the other side of his desk. “Shit!” he gasped jumping to his feet. “Sorry…I was just…I mean…”

“Quite all right,” Quatre chuckled. “I see you’ve been getting to know your new equipment.”

“Yes, sir,” Duo breathed in relief, but Quatre eyed him until he amended, “Quatre.”

Shifting to a satisfied smile he promptly sat himself down on the corner of the desk and peeked at what Duo was doing. “Warp drives?”

“It’s an idea a friend of mine had for isolating solar anomalies,” Duo explained. 

“Interesting,” Quatre nodded. “Do you mind?”

Duo shook his head pushing the track ball closer so Quatre could browse through the windows he’d been looking at. He began to feel a bit guilty when he realized how many he had opened and how very diverse the information was. To a layman eye it might look like he’d simply been surfing aimlessly and though that was partially true the goal of his efforts was always dedicated to further his work. However, people never seemed to understand his unique way of researching often reprimanding him for goofing off. 

“You’ve been busy,” Quatre smiled sliding his track ball back toward him. Duo felt the impulse to apologize rise in this throat, but it was crushed mercilessly when Quatre added, “Keep up the good work. Did Wufei explain you’re hours and duties?”

“Not in so many words,” Duo chuckled forcibly holding his elation inside. 

“Lunch is by your own discretion,” Quatre smiled. “Work till you’re satisfied, but please make sure to rest. I’ve lost more creative minds to obsessive behavior than I care to name,” he sighed missing Duo’s flabbergasted expression entirely, but it shifted to pure shock when the blond tycoon asked, “Are you available for lunch?”

“Wh…sure!” Duo grinned. “What time?”

“Now?”

Duo looked at the clock and gaped when it informed him it was past three o’clock and smiled sheepishly when his stomach suddenly rumbled loudly. “Um…I’ll get my jacket.”

It was like a dream that he damn sure didn’t want to wake up from. Lunch was simple, but tasty and he reassessed his opinion of Quatre a little when they ended up in the park with subs made at a mobile vender by the lake. For a multi-trillion dollar conglomerate the guy was all right. He asked about his home and parents not batting an eye when Duo revealed his lack of the latter and meager status of the former. They spoke of his work and where he wanted to take it and Duo felt his smile soften every time they touched on a subject that had been brought to light by Hiiro until he suddenly realized Quatre was smirking at him. 

“Where was I?” he asked having lost the thread. 

“You’re friend had suggested bi-nuclear reproduction,” Quatre smiled. 

“Right,” Duo nodded, but couldn’t seem to figure out what came next. 

Mercifully he was saved when Quatre’s cell phone rang and he turned his attention to it by softly smiling, “Hi,” into it. It was obvious whoever was on the other end was someone of intimate relation from the way he shied and smiled when he said, “Sounds wonderful. I’m in the park by the lake with Duo. Pick me up here?” Duo turned his eyes away feeling as if he were intruding, but the conversation seemed to be over when Quatre added, “Okay,” and closed his phone. “I’m afraid I’ll have to cut our lunch short,” he informed him. 

“No problem,” Duo replied amiably. 

They discarded the wrappers from their meal, though Duo chose to keep his extra large soda to take back to the office, and headed toward the road where a white convertible with yellow and red flames emblazoned down the sides stopped in front of them and Quatre lit up brighter than the morning sun. 

“Trowa!” he smiled stepping forward to take the hand of the tall guy that had gotten out of the car. Duo was prepared to greet the newcomer only to blush furiously when he gathered Quatre into his arms and kissed him smack on the mouth. “Stop it,” Quatre giggled, but he sure didn’t sound like he meant it. “I want you to meet Duo. Duo, this is Trowa. My most trusted advisor,” he grinned without bothering to extract himself from Trowa’s strong arms while he offered one hand to Duo in greeting. 

“He means lover,” Trowa smiled chuckling amusedly when Duo gave a curt nod and quick shake of his fingers. 

“Lover, advisor…confidant,” Quatre grinned tweaking his nose through the long fall of auburn hair that half hid his face. “Duo understands,” he smirked turning a knowing eye on him. “Don’t you?”

Duo nodded, but that was the best he could manage, which appeared to amuse his companions, so he was just as happy when they finally sped off in the flaming car together. Nope, Quatre Winner was definitely nothing like what he thought he’d be. It was refreshing and encouraging and just a bit scary all at the same time, but at least he knew his boss wouldn’t have a problem with his sexuality. 

The rest of the day was spent engrossed in the network and organizing his suddenly ridiculously long favorites list. He emailed the new sites to himself so he could browse them at home and dashed for the elevator the moment the clock struck five. He couldn’t wait to see Hiiro, there was just so much to tell him he raced home, jerked the sheets off his bed and rushed toward the laundry mat slowing only when he stood before the door and realized Hiiro probably wouldn’t show up until well past eight. Deflated he looked left and right wondering where he might pass some time with a basket of sheets along for the ride, then started when the door suddenly burst open. 

“Duo?” Hiiro grinned looked as flustered as Duo felt. 

“You’re here!” Duo laughed delightedly. 

“I had a project to work on so I just brought it along,” Hiiro explained, “but I didn’t think you’d come till later.”

“I couldn’t wait,” Duo chuckled moving inside when Hiiro stepped back. “You won’t believe what’s happened!”

So he related the tale of his impulsive dinner and impromptu meeting with Quatre while he stuffed his sheets in a washer. There was a short, little Hispanic lady down at the other end slowly folding what looked to be at least six loads of clothes, but they soon forgot her while Duo told Hiiro all the things that were brimming over in his mind. Time passed quickly and soon the lady was tucking her stacks of clothing into a rolling cart to take outside and Duo pinked when he caught the little smirk and knowing light in her eyes. He hadn’t thought he was being so obvious, but backed away from his close proximity to Hiiro suddenly realizing his clothes had been done for awhile. 

“You kicked him in the nuts?” Hiiro chuckled, helping extract the sheets from the machine. 

“He called me a girly boy,” Duo defended. “And he’s a total asshole. The guy has some serious issues.”

“So,” Hiiro smiled guiding the rolling basket to the machine he’d put his sheets in earlier. “What’s it like moving up?”

Duo smiled softly helping roll the wet knot of cotton in with Hiiro’s bedding. “It’s really nice. There’s a receptionist, Silvia. Very professional,” he nodded sagely, “and the office they gave me is nicer than my apartment,” he laughed liking the way Hiiro chuckled along. “Oh,” he added tucking the basket under a folding table, “and they have the most amazing paintings down the other hall.” 

Hiiro’s smile widened upon hearing this comment while he absently handed Duo into a seat. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Duo replied. “I haven’t gotten to see them all, but there’s this one of the Horse Head Nebula that’s just incredible.”

“You could tell?” 

“Sure,” Duo shrugged. “Have you ever seen it?” he asked drawing a book from his bag. “I never understood why they call it that since I can’t find a horses head anywhere in the thing, but anyone who’s ever actually looked at it could tell.” Hiiro watched with quiet interest while Duo found the proper page and presented it to him. “See?”

“I know it,” Hiiro smiled turning the book in a certain way. “There it is,” he pointed drawing a line with his finger on the picture. “Here’s the eye…that’s the nose…”

Duo squinted his eyes and cocked his head, but came up with a jovial, “Nope…don’t see it.” 

“Got a pencil?”

Duo dug a pencil and notebook out of his bag handing it to Hiiro who placed a sheet of paper over the picture in the book and proceeded to draw the nebula embellishing the characteristic’s he had pointed out until a wispy, cloud like vision of an equestrian head began to appear. 

“Wooow,” Duo breathed delightedly. “That’s really good. Do you draw?”

“I dabble,” Hiiro smiled returning his pencil and pad.

“I’d love to see your drawings sometime,” Duo sighed returning the objects to his bag. 

“You will,” Hiiro promised reaching for his backpack, “but tonight I brought you something else.” Duo sat up with eager anticipation going wide eyed when Hiiro pulled a stack of research material from his bag. 

“Is that what I think it is?” he gasped already riffling through it. 

“Everything I’ve worked on for the past five years,” Hiiro smiled. “My ideas are founded on finding a way to solve distance by increased velocity, but you see here? If you consider the ion signature of these readouts with your theory on solar anomalies…”

“Holy shit!” Duo gasped snatching the pages into his lap. 

Neither noticed when the Hispanic lady left nor when the dryer chimed as they dove in and swam in the delectable stream of new information. It was well past ten when Hiiro finally noticed the time and drew Duo back to the present when the attendant showed up to lock up the mat. 

“Damn,” Duo sighed trying to organize the plethora of papers, books and readouts that were lying all over the folding tables, machines and chairs. “I had no idea…”

“Times goes fast when you’re having fun,” Hiiro chuckled stuffing a handful of pages into his bag. 

Duo grinned doing the same and headed for the dryer with Hiiro in tow. “You’re work is really fascinating,” Duo commented while they tugged their twisted sheets apart. 

“Thanks,” Hiiro blushed, “but it was going nowhere until you came along. I can’t believe I never thought of the solar equation.”

“It never occurred to me that an ion burst would help isolate them either,” Duo chuckled pausing awkwardly when he reached for a pillow case that Hiiro was also after. 

Hiiro smiled softly offering it to him as the brightly stripped pillow case was obviously not his and Duo shied while he took it averting his eyes as a tingle ran up his arm when their fingers touched. 

“You’re not girly,” Hiiro gently intoned calling Duo’s mildly shocked gaze back to him, “but you are quite beautiful when you blush.”

Duo demonstrated the fact in fiery brilliance when his skin crisped dangerously, but the moment was interrupted by the impatient attendant who jingled his keys loudly while he placed them in the door. Duo grinned all the way home, flopping down in his newly washed sheets and cuddling up as if they were Hiiro’s arms while he wrapped them tightly around him. It couldn’t be real, nothing that had happened in the past few days seemed remotely possible, but he had the emailed favorites and the global password to prove it. He also had a pair of briefs with Hiiro’s phone number inscribed on the waistband sitting on his dresser that made him laugh when he realized he had forgotten to return them. He wondered about his wayward sock, then cuddled down deeper in his pillow hoping it was as happy as he was snuggled in with Hiiro’s clothes somewhere. The thought of snuggling with Hiiro brought a smile to his lips he felt deep in his heart while his words resounded in his head. _‘But you are quite beautiful when you blush.’_ He giggled when his happiness over the comment bubbled in his chest and almost dove on the phone when it rang. 

“Hiiro!?” he gasped grinning from ear to ear. 

“You got home all right?” Hiiro inquired sounding somewhat taken aback. 

“Of course!” Duo sang grinning at his ceiling. “I’m a big boy, ya know?”

“It was late,” Hiiro reasoned. 

“And I forgot to bring you your underwear,” Duo chuckled. 

“Oh…right,” Hiiro replied, but there was an odd tenor in his voice. 

“Hiiro?”

“You wanted to see some of my sketches?”

“Yes,” Duo smiled anxiously awaiting the next line. 

“If you want to turn on the vid…”

“Give me a sec!” Duo grinned bounding out of bed to open his laptop. Thirty second’s later he had the video feed jacked into the phone and was sitting in the lotus position on his bed with his pillow in his lap and an expectant light shining in his eyes. “Okay…I’m ready.”

“K,” Hiiro replied and a moment later his face blinked into view on Duo’s monitor and he swallowed very hard. 

He hadn’t been expecting him to be shirtless and perched on the side of his bed, but he wasn’t about to complain. He looked so damn good it made his toes curl though, so he tucked them under the sheet and smiled. 

Hiiro seemed to be having some trouble deciding which picture to show him first while he shuffled through several sketch books strewn about his sheets, then finally came up with one and flipped it open. “This is some of the older stuff,” he explained showing Duo a loose pencil sketch of the night sky. 

“It’s a star map, right?”

“Yes,” Hiiro smiled. “I used it with an essay I had to do in college.”

“Do you ever do figurative work?” Duo asked curiously. 

“Sometimes,” Hiiro nodded selecting another book. 

“Wow,” Duo smiled getting a little more comfortable. “That’s so cool,” he complimented admiring the image of a young man pouring stars and planets from a vessel into the vastness of space. “Is it God?”

“No,” Hiiro chuckled. “Just a man.”

“He’s very creative,” Duo smiled sliding down onto his side. 

Hiiro shrugged turning the picture to look it over more carefully. “Here,” he said choosing yet another book. “You should like this one.”

Duo snorted a sudden laugh hiding behind his pillow as he chuckled and blushed while Hiiro held up a sketch of his sock, but it had eyes and a mouth where the toes should be and was sniffling and looking entirely lost. 

“Guess I should have remembered to bring it home,” Hiiro chortled. 

“There’s something a bit scary about personifying a sock,” Duo sniggered. 

“Then I won’t show you what I did to the underwear,” Hiiro replied sending Duo into fits of laugher again. 

There were many more, images of star fields and celestial bodies as well as detailed illustrations drawn to aid in explaining papers he’d done in college, but Duo’s favorites where the ones with figures in them. They were usually young men drawn with such loving care it took his breath away to look at them. It wasn’t until the night had drifted into early morning that he realized all the figures bore some resemblance to Hiiro and each was in some way recreating their world. 

“You really want to help make things better,” Duo smiled from where he rested his head on his pillow. 

“It’s all I ever wanted,” Hiiro chuckled adding on a whispered thread, “Until recently.”

“Is there something else you want now?” Duo braved smiling sleepily in the dim light of his monitor. 

Hiiro curled a little closer to his and softly asked, “Do you really want to know?”

“Mm,” Duo nodded. 

“I’d give just about anything to be able to touch you right now,” Hiiro confessed. Duo giggled softly hiding his pinking cheeks behind his pillow, which brought a huge smile to Hiiro’s face and gave him the confidence to add, “Gods, you are so gorgeous I’m almost afraid to blink.”

“I’m not so hot I’m going to melt away,” Duo chuckled. 

“You make me happy,” Hiiro smiled liking the way Duo shied and averted his eyes. “Go out with me tomorrow night.”

“How about I make you dinner?” Duo suggested. 

“You cook too?” Hiiro grinned with much delight. 

“I dabble,” Duo chuckled, “but my place is really small…”

“We could eat here,” Hiiro suggested. “I have a huge kitchen that I rarely use since I can’t seem to make toast without setting off the fire alarm.”

Duo laughed heartily and agreed already working on the menu while Hiiro gave him his address and they said goodnight. It was a bit intimidating to learn that he lived uptown in one of the ritziest buildings in the city, but it stood to reason considering his dress and manor. Hiiro had obviously done all right for himself, but Duo fully intended to do the same especially in light of his recent promotion and newfound liberties. He slept deeply that night snuggled into dreams of bright, sunny days spent basking in the glow of Hiiro’s affectionate gaze and woke feeling lighter than ever before. When he arrived at work Silvia greeted him with a bright smile and showed him where the break room was where he acquired a fresh cup of coffee and thought momentarily about the swill Yantz was no doubt suffering one floor below while he made his way to his plush, new office. However, as he passed by the right hand hallway the paintings once again caught his eye. 

“Is it all right if I have a look at the art?” he asked while Silvia took her seat. 

“Of course,” she smiled.

He returned the expression before wandering down the hall pausing to look more closely at the Horse Head Nebula and smiling when he managed to mentally draw in the vague image Hiiro had shown him. The next was definitely a star map, but the next puzzled him greatly. It so closely resembled some of the sketches Hiiro had shown him he wondered if he had been influenced by the artist and went in search of a signature. The effort was fruitless however, as the artist had signed it in kanji and he had no clue what the pictogram meant. Still, it was a lovely image of a man’s chest in which was seated the heart of the universe where the human heart should have been. The skin was translucent so one could see the planets and stars contained within his breast bone and Duo felt a warm flush creep over his skin when he thought of the bare expanse of Hiiro’s chest in the monitor light. 

“Duo?”

“Morning,” he smiled turning his attention from the painting to his Chinese partner. 

“Are you a patron of the arts?” Wufei asked sipping his cup of coffee. 

“I can appreciate this sort of expression,” Duo chuckled. “Did you get a chance to look at the information I sent you yesterday?”

“About half of it,” Wufei snickered walking back toward their hall with him. “Do you always work this hard?”

“Sorry,” Duo replied. “Guess I got a little carried away, but that global access thing is totally righteous, man.”

“I sent you a summary of my work,” Wufei informed him. “Let me know when you’ve had time to look it over.”

“Great,” Duo smiled waving while he veered off toward his office and Wufei went on to his. 

He could hardly wait to get back into the system and start rooting around, but Wufei’s comment about the email was foremost on his mind. He hadn’t had a chance to speak with him about the work that was already being done and was quite anxious to see just what he’d gotten himself into. If Hiiro’s residence was a bit intimidating, then what he found in his inbox boarded on terrifying. He couldn’t believe the implications of some of the work. Wufei specialized in thermal mechanic’s and had already succeeded in creating a substance that could not only cut through the toughest barriers, but maintained it’s strength and versatility in any atmosphere from air to water and even outer space. The applications were mind boggling, but it was only the beginning. Quatre was definitely much more than merely the boss and had made contributions in both stasis streams in organic matter as well as solar energies that intrigued Duo endlessly. There was also a bit that surprised and delighted him when he discovered Trowa was more than a bed warmer and, in fact, on the payroll as a bioengineer. His research closely flowed alongside Quatre’s, which made perfect sense when Duo thought about it. All in all he was overjoyed to find himself in such company and looked forward to the future with eager anticipation, the most exciting point at that moment being his date with Hiiro that evening. 

He dropped by the grocery to pick up the things he would need before hopping a train uptown and navigating his way to Hiiro’s apartment building. There was a doorman that greeted him with a smile and admitted him without question making him wonder if Hiiro had left word that he would be coming by. The elevator had glass doors and rose swiftly giving him a nice view of the terrarium that adorned the center of the high lobby until he reached the fifth floor and the view was blocked by the passing of the buildings different floors. Hiiro was on the twelfth giving him time to become nervous and fidgety before the doors finally opened on a brightly lit corridor. He stopped more to gather his nerve than because the fresh flowers in vases along the wall were fragrant, but they were nice so he inhaled deeply and took a deep breath. 

“Hi,” Hiiro smiled admitting him when he knocked on his door. “Did you have any trouble finding the place?” 

“Hardly,” Duo chuckled stepping inside. 

“You can leave your shoes by the door,” Hiiro instructed while he took some of the bags toward the kitchen. 

Duo felt a bit odd at first, then realized since Hiiro was obviously of Asian decent it was probably only polite and did as he was bid. The carpet was plush and deep reminding him of the large fields of grass he played in after he came to Earth. “Nice place,” he complimented following Hiiro though a swinging door. 

“Thanks,” Hiiro smiled already unpacking the bags, but Duo was so floored by the enormity of the kitchen he was momentarily stunned. “There’re pots and pans over the center counter,” Hiiro pointed out while Duo gaped at the array hanging from a rack on the ceiling. “The fridge is over there.”

“That’s a fridge?” Duo chuckled walking over to peer into the massive appliance. “You sure there’re no lost mountaineers in there?”

“Could be a critter or two,” Hiiro teased setting the vegetables and wine Duo had brought on a shelf. “I haven’t used it for anything but samples in ages.”

“Eating out all the time isn’t healthy,” Duo scolded gently. 

“Well, then,” Hiiro grinned. “Now that you’re here I won’t have too.”

The implication of future meals together made Duo smile, but left him feeling awkward and oddly without comment, so he turned his attention to locating the tools he would need. “I hope you like Italian,” he commented feeling mildly impressed while he set a two quart sauce pan on the gas stove. Nobody used gas anymore, but it was definitely the way he preferred to cook. 

“I have a feeling I’m going to love anything you make,” Hiiro grinned taking two, heavy wine goblets from a cupboard. 

“Keep that up and I might think you’re flirting with me,” Duo chuckled playfully hoping he wasn’t being too forward, but from the way Hiiro smiled and leaned close to fish a corkscrew from the drawer beside him while he replied…

“You just might be right,” sort of made him think he wasn’t. However, the sudden flush on his skin seemed to signal to Hiiro that he was making him uncomfortable, so he backed off and got busy opening the wine. “Is there anything I can help with?” he asked while Duo filled the pot with water and set it on a fire. 

“You could chop the salad.”

“That I can do,” Hiiro chuckled setting a goblet of wine beside his guest before tackling the vegetables. “Just don’t let me near a fire. The little beasts seem to hate me for some reason.”

Duo snickered at the lame joke. “Can you jillion one of those onions for me?”

“Sure,” Hiiro nodded picking the largest one up and smiling while he commented, “As soon as you tell me what that means.”

Duo laughed, wiping his hands on a towel before taking the vegetable and selecting a proper knife. “It just means to cut it in long, thin pieces,” he explained doing so with a speed and precision that made Hiiro’s jaw drop and his eyes bug out. 

“You’ve been practicing,” he teased. 

“It’s something I enjoy,” Duo shrugged. 

“Good,” Hiiro chuckled, “because I’m useless with anything in the kitchen.”

“The rest of the place is nice,” Duo commented adding the onion to the butter he’d been heating. “Did you decorate it yourself?”

“Yes,” Hiiro nodded fumbling when he tried to copy Duo’s knife technique and sent a carrot skittering across the counter. “I’m afraid I’m a bit anal about keeping things neat and uncluttered,” he confessed grinning while Duo laughed at his antics. “Let’s me think more clearly.”

“I can’t even find the floor in my place,” Duo chuckled, “but that’s partially because I have ten years worth of stuff crammed in a closet sized apartment.”

“Most anything that’s important to me in on my hard drive,” Hiiro commented. 

The conversation came as easily as any other they'd had making the time go by much too quickly for Duo’s peace of mind. It takes at least eight minutes to cook pasta, but that night it seemed to be done in two and before he knew it the meal was over and the wine almost gone, but the evening still felt so young he couldn’t bare the thought of going home. He had nursed his last glass of wine for the past hour while their empty plates sat on the table and they talked about everything from the origin of giant green olives to how ion warp drives could be manipulated to emit pulse bursts thereby making it easier to identify solar anomalies. The conversation kept veering back to questions of a personal nature until Duo felt as if he’d known him for years and started finishing his sentences for him. 

“…figured I’d fall at her feet,” Hiiro was explaining about a young woman who had tried to snare him in college. “No matter what I did she just couldn’t get it through her head that I was…”

“Not interested,” Duo concluded tactfully pretending to sip his wine. 

“Yeah,” Hiiro chuckled. “What about you? Hasn’t there ever been anyone who tried to turn your head?”

“A few,” Duo nodded sighing while he thought back, “but only one girl.” He smiled when Hiiro raised a brow and gave into his curiosity. “She was a childhood friend,” he explained. “It really hurt to break her heart, but I’m just not…”

“Attracted to girls,” Hiiro nodded. 

Duo nodded in return. “She never did forgive me.”

“Sometimes people just can’t understand,” Hiiro commented draining his glass. 

Duo watched his throat swallow the last of his excuses to hang around and felt his heart sink while his mind flashed the late night train schedule in his mind. However, it was at that particular moment that a certain song came on the audio and Hiiro turned to smile in the direction of the melody. 

“I love this song,” he smiled closing his eyes while the tune filled the room. 

Duo wasn’t familiar with it, but he liked the smooth, deep rhythm and the woman’s voice was simply divine. “Who is it?”

“Sophie Solomon,” Hiiro replied suddenly turning a bright eye on him. “Do you dance?”

“Dance?” Duo echoed blushing lightly. 

“Yeah,” Hiiro enthused rising to offer him his hand. “Come on, humor me.”

“You’re completely insane,” Duo chuckled, but let himself be pulled from his chair. 

It was a bit like being wrapped in sun kissed cotton when Hiiro’s arms slid around him and pulled him close. The reaction inside him caught him off guard, he hadn’t thought it was possible to feel so utterly intoxicated from only two glasses of wine, but he could barely feel his feet and the room was starting to spin. 

“Are you all right?” Hiiro asked gently while he slowly turned them around. 

“Fine,” Duo lied wishing his legs didn’t feel like jelly. 

The condition only worsened when Hiiro leaned close to his ear and whispered, “You’re trembling.”

“I’m…” Duo breathed when the heat of his breath washed down his neck and continued down his spine. “It’s the wine.”

“Oh,” Hiiro whispered moving slowly back his jaw. Duo shivered when his lips brushed along his skin, but was wholly unprepared for the rush that went through him when Hiiro mouthed against cheek. “That would explain why I’m trembling too.”

“Hiiro?”

The gasping sound was quickly answered by a burning kiss that rocked Duo’s world completely off its axis. Everything swirled and melted together until he had no idea which way was up and didn’t much care. Hiiro’s arms were so strong, his mouth deliciously demanding and his hands seemed to know all the secrets of Duo’s body while they moved along his skin. 

“Damn,” Hiiro panted closing his eyes against the rushing heat while he crushed their bodies together. Duo had never felt so completely protected in all his life, he never wanted to leave this place of absolute security and knew deep in his heart that he’d do anything to make sure Hiiro was always with him. “Wait,” Hiiro breathed loosening his hold when Duo tried to kiss him again. “If we keep this up…” but his protest was cut off by another searing kiss. 

Duo melted into him so deliciously, his body answering every hungry desire he demanded from it Hiiro was lost before the second kiss. “Gods,” he gasped diving in for another and suddenly the decision was made for him when his arms snatched Duo off his feet. The small squeak that escaped him was quickly forgotten while Duo drank in every drop of passion, swirled it in the flames inside him and fed it back to Hiiro in a circle of heat that soon lit the night on fire. It was more than he’d ever hoped for, more than he ever dared dream and he opened himself willingly giving everything he was to this handsome companion who had so easily stolen his heart. 

There was pain, but Hiiro was so gentle and patient it was worth it. He’d always known the first time would be difficult, but for Hiiro he was more than willing to work through the pain and when it ebbed he discovered a world of decadent pleasure lying on the other side. Once found he couldn’t seem to get enough coaxing his handsome new lover into reenacting the dance over and over until they were both exhausted and drifted off to sleep quite happily on a righteous natural high. He woke to the feeling of warm lips pressed against his own and the welcome weight of Hiiro’s body covering his and smiled. 

“Morning.”

“Only just,” Hiiro chuckled. 

“What time is it?” Duo asked blinking bleary eyes open. 

“Almost seven,” Hiiro replied. 

Hm, he didn’t have to be at work till at least nine. 

“Mmmm,” Hiiro moaned when Duo kissed him long and deep, but forced himself to pull reluctantly away. “You make it damn hard to care if I miss my meeting,” he grinned. 

“You have a meeting?” Duo inquired feeling just a tad put out. 

“Yes,” Hiiro confirmed pecking him on the mouth before pulling away completely. “And I’m late,” he explained grabbing a fresh shirt out of the closet. “Will you be all right?” 

“I think I can figure out how to lock the door when I leave,” Duo smirked looking entirely too sexy lying in Hiiro’s bed. 

“Damn,” Hiiro cursed jumping back in for one more kiss. 

“You’re late,” Duo grinned. 

“Let me take you out tonight?” Hiiro asked softly against his jaw. “I owe you one for making dinner.”

“You drive a hard bargain,” Duo teased. “Pick me up at seven?”

“I’ll be there at six,” Hiiro grinned stealing another kiss before dashing for the door. “Oh, leave your address on the pad by the phone!” he instructed, then was suddenly gone. 

Duo laughed and sank down into the sheets loving how they still smelled of sex and Hiiro and all the wonderful things they’d shared, but if he was going to make it to the office without sharing the sultry scent with the rest of the world he had to get a shower, so he jotted his address down on the pad and got busy. Hiiro’s bathroom was as elegant as the rest of his apartment with a glass wall shower and separate tub/Jacuzzi thing Duo couldn’t wait to try out when he had more time. The wide, body spray showerhead was decadent enough and he got a kick out of using Hiiro’s soap. He had to leave his hair for later as it would take much too long to wash and weave, so he bundled it up on top of his head, but was happy to find that Hiiro’s towels were of sufficient size to deal with it if he had. Recalling his new lover’s comments about liking to keep his place tidy he looked around for a hamper, but didn’t find one, so he went in search of a place to put the wet towel and stumbled across the laundry room. 

The fully equipped and quite operational laundry room. 

“He lied,” he whispered feeling suddenly ill. 

Had the whole thing been nothing but a scam to get him into bed? His head felt dizzy while he stumbled back into the living room. Hiiro had lied to him. He had a washer and dryer right there in his apartment the whole time. Of _course_ he did! He lived in one of the most expensive buildings in the city! How could he have been so gullible!? 

“Damn it,” he wheezed gripping his chest when a pain he’d never thought possible lanced through him. He lied. It was all a clever hoax. A sudden thought ripped through his mind leaving him shaken while he raced to the bedroom and jerked the dresser drawer open. His heart ached more and more as he pulled out one garment after another not finding even one with a phone number written inside. 

“He planted it,” he groaned painfully. “No,” he breathed viciously shoving at the doubts that were clawing at his mind. “There has to be a reasonable explanation.” 

That’s right, it was just a misunderstanding. He would wait and ask him to explain, then everything would be okay again. It had to be, his heart was already aching so bad he was sick to his stomach. There would be some silly reason for all this that would make him laugh and everything would be wonderful again. Decision made he gathered himself together and caught the train to work. When he arrived Silvia offered her usual, friendly smile, but it waned quickly into a concerned frown. 

“Are you feeling well?” she asked. 

“Not really,” Duo replied, but pulled on a small smile while he explained, “Stomach…does the snack machine have antacid?” 

“I doubt it,” she replied sympathetically. “But I could pick you some up on my break.”

“Don’t trouble yourself,” Duo commented making his way down the hall. “I’m sure it’ll get better.”

However, it didn’t get better. As he day wore on it got decidedly worse and before noon he was utterly incapable of comprehending anything on his screen and very much in need of an antacid. However, what he got was a visit from Wufei. 

“Hi,” he greeted when Duo bade him enter. “How’s it going?”

“Slow,” Duo sighed scrubbing his palms over his face. 

“Hey,” Wufei persisted sounding concerned. “Are you okay? You don’t look so good.”

“I’m fine,” Duo assured him though he felt anything but. “Was there something I can help you with?”

“Quatre’s called an emergency meeting,” Wufei explained. 

Duo groaned internally, but nodded and grabbed his jacket. When questioned his partner had no idea what the meeting was about, but assured him it wouldn’t be too painful as Quatre rarely dropped anything detrimental on them without warning. It didn’t matter to Duo, all he wanted was for the day to be over so he could confront Hiiro, so he followed Wufei down the hall until he heard a familiar voice and felt his heart speed up and his feet slow down. 

“…didn’t you tell me he’d be here?!”

“Why are you getting so upset?” Quatre countered. “It’s only natural he’d be included…”

“Duo?” Wufei inquired turning back and instantly reaching for his companion when he saw he was white as a ghost. 

“I wasn’t ready to meet him yet!” Hiiro cut Quatre off. 

“Hiiro,” Quatre sighed. “You’re behaving very oddly.”

Wufei’s eyes grew round when Duo began to shake with rage and suddenly pushed past him, bursting into the room and growling, “Little wonder!”

“Duo?!” Hiiro gasped. 

“Did you think I wouldn’t find out!?” Duo snapped advancing on him while Quatre and Trowa backpedaled. 

“It’s not what you think,” Hiiro defended. 

“You want to explain why I found a laundry room in your apartment!?” 

“Oh, Hiiro,” Quatre breathed. “What have you done?”

“If you’d just let me explain,” Hiiro tried again, but Duo was so enraged all he could do was growl before storming out. “Duo! Wait!” Hiiro barked racing after him. 

“Did I miss something?” Wufei deadpanned. 

“Don’t touch me!” Duo snapped when Hiiro tried to snag him in the hall. 

“I’m sorry,” Hiiro replied backing off, “but if you’d just let me explain…”

“What!?” Duo shouted rounding on him right in front of Silvia’s desk. “That everything you ever told me was a lie?!” The girl’s eyes grew very large, but he didn’t even notice her. “You set me up!”

“No…”

“Damn it!” Duo swore clearly enraged with himself. “I can’t believe I let you sucker me into bed!” Upon this comment Silvia slipped from her seat and made her way down the right hand hall calling Duo’s attention to the paintings that lined the walls and it suddenly clicked. “Those are yours aren’t they!?” 

Hiiro looked hopelessly guilty, but couldn’t deny it. “Yes, but…”

“Son of a bitch,” Duo laughed dryly until a horrible thought struck him and he paled. “Are you responsible for the promotion?”

“What?” Hiiro gasped. “Hell, no!”

“Fuck! I cannot believe this!” Duo suddenly growled turning for the elevator. 

“Duo! Please!” Hiiro begged grasping his arm and everyone that was coming down the hall suddenly stopped when his back hit the floor. 

Duo glared down at his stunned, soon to be ex-lover and felt something give way inside him. He’d hit him, he’d let him drive him to the point he’d lost control and actually hit him. When he looked up into the agast expressions of those standing in the hall and Quatre’s wide eyes bore down on him with stunned shock glittering in their depths it was the last straw. He had to get away, far, far away and he couldn’t get there fast enough. He tried not to cry and knew it was a futile endeavor, but by the time he opened the door of his little apartment his eyes were stinging with tears of frustration and pain. If he could have simply lain down and died he thought he would, but things weren’t that simple. He had a transporter to invent and that’s exactly what he was going to do. He’d packed and already called for a cab when the phone rang, but it wasn’t until he saw Quatre’s number on it that he decided to answer. 

“What?”

“Duo!” he gasped. “Oh, thank goodness. I was afraid you’d already gone.”

“I’m on my way,” Duo replied feeling somewhat bad for deserting him, but if he’d only taken an interest because of Hiiro…

“Please,” Quatre entreated. “At least hear me out. You need to know Hiiro had nothing to do with my promoting you. He doesn’t even work for WEI.”

“He doesn’t?” Duo inquired while his world tilted. 

“No,” Quatre breathed sounding relieved by Duo’s curiosity. “I’ve been trying to get him on the payroll for months, but he’s not an easy man to influence. You probably already know he doesn’t need the money.”

“That’s for sure,” Duo snorted asking on an afterthought, “How’d he get so rich anyway?”

“His art,” Quatre explained. “His work is very valuable. Didn’t you think to look him up?”

“I didn’t know he was past the sketch stage,” Duo sighed. 

Quatre was quite for a time, then sighed as well. “There seems to be a lot you don’t know about him.”

“No kidding,” Duo replied feeling ever more foolish. 

“Listen to him, Duo,” Quatre advised. “You might find it worth the effort.”

“It’s too late,” Duo groaned. “He must hate me after I decked him.”

“I think you had more of an affect on him than you know,” Quatre chuckled. 

For a moment the comment left Duo puzzled, then he suddenly figure it out. “He’s coming here?!”

“He only wants to explain…”

“Shit!” Duo gasped not at all ready to face the consequences of what he’d done as he slammed the phone down. 

Hiiro would have to go home to find his address, that’d take awhile, so he might still have time to…but his time was up as when he opened the door Hiiro was standing on the other side with his knuckles raised to knock. 

“Duo…please let me explain,” he begged. “It’s not like you think. I swear.”

“Damn it,” Duo groaned backing away from the door. “Why couldn’t you just stay a dream?” he wibbled falling into his couch. 

“Damn, I can’t believe how badly I’ve handled this,” Hiiro sighed running his fingers through his unruly hair. “I never meant to deceive you.”

“Did you know I worked at WEI before we met?” 

“Yes,” Hiiro confessed coming inside and closing the door. “I saw you sometimes when I had meetings there.”

“Liked the view so figured you’d sample the fare?” Duo chuckled sardonically. 

“Actually,” Hiiro replied tentatively sitting beside him. “I read your proposal and wanted to meet you and discus it, but…”

“What?” 

“When I saw you I…sort of chickened out.” Duo laughed, but it wasn’t really a happy sound. “You were just so…”

“Sexy?” Duo supplied derisively. 

“Unapproachable,” Hiiro corrected bringing a curious light to his eyes. “I’d never seen anyone with so much style and grace. You totally intimidated me,” he laughed. 

“That’s why you decided to stalk me at the laundry mat? You could have set up a meeting at work you know? Met me on equal ground.”

“No,” Hiiro sighed. “It wouldn’t have been equal because you were still stuck working for that brainless twit Yantz.”

Again Duo felt suspicion rise in his throat. “You really didn’t have anything to do with my promotion?”

“No,” Hiiro stated quite clearly. “Quatre didn’t even know I’d approached you outside of work.” 

It was some small consolation to know he’d earned the job on his own, but it still didn’t make up for everything. “Fine,” he sighed. “I won’t quit WEI then.”

“Good,” Hiiro sighed with great relief until Duo added…

“Just don’t think I’m part of the package if you decide to work with us. Maybe we can start over and build a working relationship…”

“No,” Hiiro exclaimed sitting up anxiously to face him. “That’s just it. I came to the laundry mat because I didn’t want our relationship to be business.”

“You got what you wanted,” Duo snipped. 

“Not if you’re not hopelessly in love with me,” Hiiro countered. 

“Please,” Duo begged pressing the heels of his hands to his eyes to stop the tears. “Just stop.”

“I won’t,” Hiiro replied gently reaching to remove his hands. “Not until you understand. I know I messed up, I should have been honest with you from the start, but I swear to you, Duo. Everything I feel for you is the truth. I love you and I’m never going to give you up.”

Duo smiled in spite of himself snickering out loud when Hiiro’s face glowed with happiness. “I haven’t forgiven you,” he informed him, but couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from curling. 

“Then let me make it up to you,” Hiiro grinned leaning in for a long, slow kiss. 

The incident was soon forgotten while the heat of make up sex burned away any leftover doubts. Hiiro took his time making sure Duo understood through his touch that everything he had said was true and Duo had no doubt whatsoever that Hiiro really loved him before it was over. He lay in Hiiro’s arms on his broken down old sofa and smiled knowing that soon his life would finally be what he’d always wanted it to be. He’d be free to pursue his dreams with four of the most brilliant minds he’d ever come across and share his days and nights with the most wonderful lover he could ever hope for. There was only one more obstacle to overcome and Hiiro solved that problem with four little words. 

“Move in with me.”

“Already?” Duo chuckled. 

“I’ll never be able to sleep if you’re not there,” Hiiro sighed clinging a little tighter. 

“I’ve known you less than a week,” Duo reasoned. 

“Then keep your apartment, but come stay with me. Then when you feel comfortable we can pack up your things and…”

“Are you always this pushy?” Duo laughed turning his face up so he could kiss his nose. 

“I just can’t face another night without you,” Hiiro explained. “Please?”

“I’ll stay tonight,” Duo agreed, “but we’ll have to see what happens tomorrow.”

“I’ll rent movies and we can crash on the couch bed,” Hiiro grinned. “Then there’s a gallery opening downtown you might enjoy.”

“You’re work?” Duo smirked. 

“Yes,” Hiiro replied sheepishly. “I forgot to mention I’m…”

“A very successful artist?” Duo grinned laughing when Hiiro pinked. “Quatre told me,” he explained, “and I’d love to see your show.”

“Really?” Hiiro beamed snuggling close. 

“As long as you don’t mind having your starry eyed lover fawn all over your work,” Duo chuckled. 

“Fawn away!” Hiiro enthused. “I can’t wait to show you off,” he grinned stealing another kiss. 

“You’re not worried about you’re reputation?” 

“You mean because I’m gay?” Hiiro snorted. “You don’t hang out with the artsy crowd do you?” he laughed. “They’ll squeal louder than a pit full of fangirls.”

“Damn!” Duo exclaimed shivering fearfully. “Don’t _ever_ say shit like that out loud!”

Hiiro laughed along stretching up to kiss him again. “As long as you’re with me the rest of the world can go to hell for all I care.”

“If we can open a gate between the colonies and Earth I doubt anyone will care about what we do in bed,” Duo reasoned. 

“I care,” Hiiro grinned wickedly rising above him. 

“Shouldn’t we be getting back to work?” Duo laughed shifting to accommodate his lover’s position. 

“It’s already past three,” Hiiro reasoned going to work on his neck. “Besides, I haven’t told Quatre I’d work for him yet, so I’m not technically on the payroll.”

“But you’re going too?” Duo breathed as his eyes slid slowly closed. 

“Mm,” Hiiro confirmed reacquainting himself with the delicate curve of Duo’s neck. “You were the missing piece,” he explained. “To everything.”

Duo groaned happily enjoying the feeling of being complete for the first time in his life, and knew without question that they would find a way to make all their dreams come true. However, for the moment he was happy to simply enjoy the ones that already had. 

owari :)

**Author's Note:**

> Write it, draw it, create it, sing it, SHARE IT. ~ Sunhawk 2019


End file.
